Chinese demand for notebooks slumps

Barclays Capital has warned that notebooks are being hit by less demand from China. Analysts have predicted that global shipments of notebook computers in the second quarter will grow only four per cent from the first quarter, slower than the about 6 per cent sequential growth seen in recently.

In a recent research note, Kirk Yang head of Asia ex-Japan tech hardware research at Barclays, said the weaker shipment growth forecast partly reflected delays in the launches of new models as international brands wait for Microsoft next generation operating system and a new processing unit from Intel.

A possible decline in demand from China are also expected to affect notebook computer shipments during the current quarter, Yang said. Meanwhile, with weakness in demand extending into this year from the fourth quarter of last year, Yang forecast that global notebook shipments for the first quarter of this year fell 17 percent from the fourth quarter.

The first quarter is traditionally a slow season for the global high-tech industry.